She had just gotten off a phone call when she looked up at me.
“Grandmother, good. You’re here. I thought you might still be at your appointment.”
She stood and walked around to the front of her desk. “I didn’t have an appointment.”
Did she forget she’d given that excuse as to why she couldn’t drive Charlotte back from lunch? It was then I realized she’d likely made up having the appointment to get me to drive Charlotte. I didn’t feel like getting into it with her. So I left it alone.
“Did you just arrive?” she asked. “I figured you’d beat me back here. What took so long?”
“We just walked in. Charlotte and I ran into a little snafu.”
She smirked. “I see. That seems to happen a lot with you two.”
Yeah.
Taking a seat, I was happy to change the subject. “Listen, we need to talk about Dorothy.”
“Yes. I haven’t been able to think about anything else all day.”
“We need to call her out on the stealing. She can’t get away with it.”
“I know, Reed, but—”
“Hear me out.”
“Alright.” She looked worried about what I was going to say next.
“While I think she needs to know that we figured it out . . . I don’t think we should fire her. She’s going through too much. And she’s been a loyal employee up until this happened. I can see how someone in her situation could act in a desperate way. People do strange things when their loved ones are in danger. She stole from us, but I don’t think she meant any harm. To her, it was a life-or-death situation.”
A look of relief washed over her face. “I agree, and I’m happy and proud of you for seeing it that way.”
From the moment I understood what was happening, I knew what I wanted to do. Iris was a charitable person and had always set a good example for me in that regard. It felt good to not only be able to help this family but also make my grandmother proud.
“I’d like to pay for the balance of her grandson’s treatment myself.”
She seemed taken aback. “Are you certain? That could be a lot of money.”
“Yes, I’m sure. I couldn’t imagine having a child or a grandchild who was dying and not having the finances to help save him. I mean, is there anything you wouldn’t do for a sick grandson?”
My grandmother paused as she looked me in the eye.
“No. No, there isn’t.”CHAPTER 17
CHARLOTTE
Out of breath and frazzled when I returned to my office, I pulled up Max’s cell-phone number as fast as I could.
He picked up on the first ring. “Well, hello. To what do I owe this—”
“Max!” I interrupted. “Listen. I need a favor. You haven’t spoken to Reed since the lunch meeting this afternoon, have you?”
“No. I never ended up going back to the office. I went home. What’s up?”
Covering my chest, I let out a sigh of relief.
“I lied to your brother. I told him that I had a date with you tomorrow night.”
Max’s laughter filled my eardrum. “Um . . . okay. Let me get this straight. I’ve been trying to get you to go out with me since day one. You turn me down every time, but you’re telling people that we’re dating?”
“Well . . . yes. But just Reed.”
“You’re a trip, Charlotte. What . . . were you trying to get a rise out of him? You two have a strange-as-fuck dynamic.”
“I was trying to teach him a lesson—sort of. It’s complicated. Anyway, he forbade me from going out with you.”
“What a dick.” He chuckled.
“If he mentions anything to you, will you go along with it for a little while? I’ll probably tell him the truth at some point.”
“Anytime I can get my brother riled up and out of his funk, I’m happy to do it. Can I tell him you were the one who pursued me if he confronts me?”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
He was laughing in my ear. “Okay.”
“I made a bargain with Reed. It’s not something I’m at liberty to talk about, but my end of the deal was cancelling the date. So I’m cancelling it.”
“You’re cancelling the date that never existed. Gotcha.”
“Yes. And thank you, by the way. I owe you one.”
“How about dinner next week?”
“You’re relentless.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
After we hung up, I sat at my desk, thinking about the Eastwood brothers. Max was a carefree playboy, but he was a good guy, and I knew he cared about Reed a lot. Max was definitely the crazier brother. And some might even label him the better-looking one, depending on their taste. He was wilder, too, for sure. But in my opinion, brooding, intense Reed was far sexier. In fact, I’d never found him sexier than in his car today when he turned to me and demanded that I stay away from Max. Todd never gave me that kind of single-minded attention; it felt good to be recipient of it. While some women would have advised me to smack him upside his head in that very moment, I couldn’t help but be turned on by Reed’s protectiveness. It didn’t hurt that the sun was blazing into his beautiful, espresso-colored eyes when he made the demand, or that the car was filled with his intoxicating Ralph Lauren cologne.